As the debate continues about whether there is an outbreak of dengue in Jamaica, the Parliamentary Opposition is accusing the Ministry of Health of failing to heed the warning of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) about a possible outbreak in the Caribbean this year.

Dr. Dayton Campbell, Opposition Spokesman on Health, says the ministry should have been prepared.

“(CARPHA) put out a release earlier this year that the region was to brace for a dengue outbreak in 2018, so this should not have caught the ministry in this position where they are now reacting to the problem,” he asserted.

He said despite his warnings, the ministry, instead of during regular tests to identify all possible cases of dengue, kept denying that there was an issue.

Dr. Campbell insisted more and more persons are showing up at hospitals with symptoms of dengue haemorrhagic fever.

He said the number of suspected cases is high in Clarendon.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton confirmed that four babies died of suspected dengue at Bustamante Hospital for Children in the last few days.

Dr. Tufton also said that up to Tuesday, there were about 20 suspected cases of the mosquito-borne disease at the hospital.